Da Vincis Dodecahedron

And other Medieval wonders

Nevermind tool making  if any trait distinguishes humans and animals, its our ability to doodle. Even our Presidents dabbled in it: Reagan sketched cowboys on memos and Nixon enigmatically called himself a square doodler. But no one in the history of doodling matches Leonardo Da Vinci. This autumn, a notebook of his doodles, the Codex Forster I, stops at the Norton Museum of Art (1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach), as part of an exhibition from Londons Virginia and Albert Museum.

The exhibitions called Medieval & Renaissance Treasures from the V & A: theres stained glass, ivory, metallurgy, a manuscript, and other knick-knacks dating from the Roman Empire to 1600. Plus, today, Florida State Universitys vocal ensemble, Cantores Musicæ Antiquæ, graces the gallery with a peculiar style of Spanish music that emerged from contact with the noises of the New World. Still, nothing outshines Da Vinci: his drawing of a Dodecahedron  a 12-sided, 3-D shape  is doodlings equivalent of the Pyramids. The Cantores concert begins at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $12 or less. Call 561-832-5196 or visit www.norton.org.
Nov. 11-Jan. 8, 2007